Revealed the keys to reducing the impact of agriculture on climate change

[OKIsItJustMe]

http://www.basqueresearch.com/berria_irakurri.asp?Berri_Kod=4659&hizk=I

[font face=Serif]2013/7/16

[font size=5]Revealed the keys to reducing the impact of agriculture on climate change[/font]

[font size=4]Land is not being used to its best advantage according to a new study by Ikerbasque Professor Unai Pascual from the Basque Centre for Climate Change (BC3) and University of Cambridge, and a team of environmental economists from Europe.[/font]

[font size=3]Research published in the journal Science (5th July 2013) shows that allowing land use to be determined purely by agricultural markets results in considerable financial and environmental costs to the public. While the research has looked specifically at the UK, the same methods could be applied to any area of the world with similar results for many countries. Land use in most of Europe is dominated by agriculture. Nearly half the total annual value of EU agriculture is based on public financial support surpassing 70%, 40% and 30% in the case of Ireland, UK and Spain, respectively to name a few.

The research team, led by Prof. Ian Bateman from the University of East Anglia, UK, looked at the value for money of such public support in the UK where half a million land use records were used and found that current land use patterns represents poor value for society relative to this subsidy level. The study suggests that a refocusing of public policies could substantially improve the situation. Alongside tangible financial costs in the form of agricultural subsidies, the research team calculated the economic value of current and future agricultural land uses due to climate change, including the value of food production and associated environmental impacts including greenhouse gas emissions responsible for climate change and reduced recreation for people. They also took into account the impact of declining wild species and biodiversity caused by intensive farming. Looking to the future, the research weighed up the consequences of alternative land uses and assessed a range of alternative scenarios going forward to the year 2060.

The study demonstrates the importance of bringing ecosystem services into decision-making and to make full use of the potential gains from working with the natural environment and the underpinning biophysical processes. The study acknowledges that this does not come without practical challenges. A key challenge concerns the mechanics of securing the participation of farmers in delivering land-use changes to benefit society. A recommendation that the research team puts forward involves the reform of the European Union’s (EU’s) Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). Recasting the CAP as a Payment for Ecosystem Services mechanism would reward farmers for delivering a bundle of key of ecosystem services including climate change mitigation by the reduction of emission of greenhouse gases, water regulation, recreation and biodiversity conservation.

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http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.1234485

[kestrel91316]

1. The secret? Easy - eat lots less animal products.

[stuntcat]

2. SHH!! That would solve too many problems!!

So we're expected not to mention it, lest we get the bacon backlash.

Almost as big a faux pas as mentioning over-population... whoops did I let that slip, sry y'all!!

[kestrel91316]

3. Oh and I forgot to say also: stop eating so much, period. We are too effing FAT.

Most Americans would benefit greatly from substantial calorie restriction, but they can't be bothered. They keep eating and eating and eating, and then expect the healthcare system, overburdened as it is, to bail them out.